Apple MacBook Air vs. Apple MacBook Air with Retina display

Laptop Comparison, Reviews and Tests
Apple MacBook Air
Apple MacBook Air with Retina display

In depth comparison and review of Apple MacBook Air and Apple MacBook Air with Retina display. Compare sizes, performance, storage capacities, batteries and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right laptop for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the laptop that will best fit your needs.

Laptop Specifications Comparison

Apple MacBook Air vs. Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Product Type Notebook Notebook
Dimensions (WxDxH) 29.95 cm x 19.2 cm x 1.7 cm 30.41 cm x 21.24 cm x 1.56 cm
Weight 1.06 kg 1.25 kg
Case Material - Aluminum
Colour - Space grey | Gold | Silver
DISPLAY Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Screen Size (Type) 11.6" 13.3" - IPS
LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight LED backlight
Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 (HD) 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA)
Pixel Density (ppi) - 227
Widescreen Yes Yes
Image Aspect Ratio - 16:10
Features Glossy BFR/PVC-free, Mercury free, beryllium free, arsenic free, Retina display
PROCESSOR Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) 1.6 GHz
Max Turbo Speed - 3.6 GHz
Number of Cores Dual-Core Dual-Core
Cache L2 - 3 MB L3 - 4 MB
Front Side Bus 800 MHz -
64-bit Computing Yes Yes
Features - Intel Turbo Boost Technology
MEMORY Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
RAM 2 GB (provided memory is soldered) 8 GB (provided memory is soldered)
RAM Type DDR3 SDRAM LPDDR3 SDRAM
Speed 1066 MHz 2133 MHz
STORAGE Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Main Storage Size (HDD/SSD) 64 GB SSD 128 GB SSD soldered PCIe
AUDIO & VIDEO Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Graphics Processor (GPU) NVIDIA GeForce GT 320M Intel UHD Graphics 617
Memory Allocation Technology Shared Video Memory (UMA) -
Max Allocated RAM Size 256 MB -
Camera Yes Yes - 720p
Camera Features - FaceTime HD camera
Sound Stereo speakers, microphone Stereo speakers, three microphones
COMMUNICATIONS Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2
BATTERY Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Technology Lithium polymer Lithium polymer
Battery Capacity (Size) 35 Wh 50.3 Wh
Battery Life Up to 5 hours Up to 12 hours
Battery Run Time - Web browsing over Wi-Fi: up to 12 hours
Video playback: up to 13 hours
Standby time: up to 30 days
AC ADAPTER Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Input AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz) AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz)
Output - 30 Watt
INPUT Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Type Keyboard, trackpad Keyboard, Force Touch trackpad
Keyboard Backlight - Yes
Features Multi-touch touchpad Pressure sensitivity, multi-touch touchpad, Multi-Touch Gesture Recognition, ambient light sensor, force click, Touch ID sensor
CONNECTIONS & EXPANSIONS Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Interfaces 2 x USB 2.0
Headphone output
Mini DisplayPort
2 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (supports Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort Alt Mode) (Power Delivery)
Headphone output
SOFTWARE Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Operating System (OS) Apple MacOS X 10.6 Apple macOS Big Sur 11.0
Software Included Drivers & Utilities, Apple QuickTime, Apple iTunes, Apple Mac OS X Mail, Apple iChat, Apple iCal, Apple DVD Player, Apple Address Book, Apple Safari, Apple Dashboard, Apple Spotlight, Apple XCode Developer Tools, Front Row, Photo Booth, Apple Spaces, Apple Quick Look, Apple Time Machine, Apple iLife '11 iTunes, Apple iMovie, Apple Safari, Apple GarageBand, Photo Booth, Apple Time Machine, Apple FaceTime, Apple Preview, Mail, Maps, Photos, Reminders, App Store, Contacts, Stocks, Notes, Calendar, Siri, Messages, Apple iBooks, Apple Keynote, Apple Pages, Apple Numbers, News, Voice Memos, Home
MISCELLANEOUS Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Included Accessories - USB-C power adapter
Cables Included - USB-C charge cable
Security - Apple T2 Security Chip, fingerprint reader
Features Aluminum enclosure T2 Security Chip
SAR Value - 0.71 W/kg (body)
Repairability Index - 6.1 (out of 10)
ENERGY STAR Certified Yes Yes
EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Gold EPEAT Gold
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature 10 °C 10 °C
Humidity Range Operating 0 - 90% (non-condensing) 0 - 90% (non-condensing)
Manufacturer Warranty Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
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